7 Things that Trigger Your Body to Burn Fat

When you’re trying to lose weight, ways to burn fat are at the top of your list. The best ways to burn fat are to eat a healthy diet and to exercise, but beyond that, are there other things that can trigger your body to burn fat?

1. Eat Smaller Meals More Frequently

Instead of the typical 3 meals per day, try eating 5 or 6. This can help you burn fat by keeping your blood sugar and insulin levels stable throughout the day, and unsteady insulin levels lead to fat accumulation.

Also, your body burns calories when it digests food. So, the more often you give it something to digest, the more calories and fat it will burn.

The key here is to keep your meals small and healthy. 5 or 6 meals filled with cookies, fried chicken and doughnuts are not going to trigger much fat burning!

2. Eat Hot Peppers and Cinnamon

It may sound odd, but certain foods can help your body burn fat more effectively. In the case of peppers, they contain capsaicin, which is thought to play a role in boosting metabolism and suppressing appetite. Curry is thought to have the same effect.

In a similar way, cinnamon makes your fat cells more sensitive to insulin. Try adding 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon to your dinner entree.

3. Eat Sufficient Protein

Don’t cut out the meat when you’re trying to burn fat. The digestion process burns more calories digesting proteins than it does while digesting carbohydrates, making lean meats a fat burner. Again, choose your proteins wisely: aim for fish, nuts, lean chicken, etc. – no quarter pounders or other greasy, fat-filled meats.

4. Eat Smart Before Working Out

Did you know that even the timing of a before-workout snack can affect your metabolism? It’s true – for optimum fat burning, eat a high protein snack 90 minutes prior to exercising. This timing will give you maximum endurance for working out. If you eat sooner before exercising, blood will tend to rush to your stomach and diminish your performance.

5. Work Out Wisely

Pay attention to details when working out. For instance, breathe through your nose rather than your mouth, if possible. This will stabilize your heart rate and increase your endurance, which will help you exercise longer and burn more fat.

6. Save Cardio for Last

Work out using a variety of methods; optimally, strength training and cardio. Begin with the strength training portion, because it takes your body 15 minutes to warm up and begin burning fat optimally. By doing your strength training first, you allow your body to be warmed up and ready to burn fat for the entire portion of your more strenuous cardio workout.

7. Fidget

Teachers hate it, but as an adult it’s okay to fidget – in fact, it can help you burn fat. Studies have shown that fidgeting behaviors – drumming your fingers, crossing and uncrossing your legs, pacing in a room – can burn up to 800 extra calories per day.

By incorporating some of these tips, you can help trigger your body to burn more fat!

About 3FC

3FC began as a personal source of diet support for sisters Suzanne, Jennifer, and Amy in 1997. The site has grown considerably based on the feedback of the many visitors and sister chicks that found us and decided to call the website home.

The website was acquired by Internet Brands in 2010 and continues to provide the most supportive free weight loss community online!